Improvement



'UNITEn STATES 'rENr rFIcEi;

HENRY W. PROUTY, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

. IMPROVEMENT IN TOY MONEY-BOXES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 141,516, dated August 5, 1873; application filed May 26, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY W. PROUTY, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful or Improved Toy Bank, and do hereby declare the Asame to ,be fully described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l denotes a front elevation of a bank constructed in accordance with my invention, the same representing the bank as open and the cashier at his post ready to receive deposits. Fi g. 2 is a front elevation, representing the bank as closed Fig. 3 is'a similar elevation, the door being represented in a position at right angles to that shown in the foregoing figure, in order to more clearly exhibit the arrangement of parts. Fig. 4. is a central and longitudinal section of the bank as open, showing the cashier at his post, the dotted lines showing the position of the counter with respect to the opening of the vault when the door is reversed and the money is transferred into the vault. Fig. 5 is vertical section taken on line w x of Fig. 4, showing the position of the cashier when the bank is closed, and also the connection of the sliding platform (on which the cashier is mounted) with the door and mechanism by which the same is operated.

The object of my invention is to produce a toy bank which shall not only be simple and novel in construction, but also afford pleasure and amusement to children while depositing their pennies within the same 5 and my invention consists in the peculiar construction and combination of the several parts, as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawing, A denotes the bank or case, Y

which may be of any desirable external form, and made of east-iron or any other suitable material, its parts being suitably connected together. This case is divided by means of a partition, a, into two compartments, the inner one, B, of which I term the vault, the same having a horizontal slot or opening, b, in its front side, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. His what I term the hall, the same being in front ofthe vault. Within one end of the bank or box is a door-way, C, provided with a door, D, which is hinged or pivoted centrally at its top and bottom to its casing c, so as to enable the door to be reversed or turned on its axis one hundred and eighty degrees. E is aewindow or opening, which is arranged within the door or front of the bank, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5. F is a counter, which is secured to one side of the door, and directly underneath the window. s is an, arm or spindle, extending up from the superior pivot d ofthe door, and having a helical spring, c, coiled around it, one

end of such spring being connected with the spindle, and the other abutting against the wall of the case, such spring having sufficient resilient force to turn the door one hundred and eighty degrees, and give the requisite backward movement to the cashier, to be hereinafter described. The door-D is provided with an opening-knob, f, and there is a catch-knob, g, disposed at the side thereof, in the casing, its catch serving to hold the door shut when the bank is open or ready to receive deposits. In order to maintain the door when the bank is both open and closed, and limit its movement to an are of one hundred and eighty degrees, the lower pivot, h, of the door has a curved or cranked arm, t', extending horizontally from it, and standing in the same vertical plane therewith, so that when the door is turned in either direction the required distance such arm shall impinge against the side or wall of the bank and prevent its further movement. Within the hall H is arplatform, k, which slides on the floor of the hall. On this platform is a ligure, J, (which I term the cashier,) such figure being separate and independent from both the door and the counter, although so combined or connected as to move in unison therewith.

The mechanism for connecting the platform or the cashier with the door is as follows: l is a stud, projecting down from the platform, and extends through a long slot, m, made through the floor of the hall, such stud being connected, by means of a pitman, n, to the cranked arm ,'which is connected with the lower pivot, h, of the door, such stud being caused to travel back and forth in the slot when the door is moved on its axis, and thus the platform is made to traverse in a right line and parallel with the front of the bank. By this construction of the platform, and its connection with the door, as described, the cashier is made to automatically move in view at lthe window, and remain in such position while the door is in the position denoting the bank as open, or as shown in Fig. l; while, when the door is being turned through its semicircular arc, so as to exhibit its reverse, or denoting the bank as closed, he is moved out of sight and into the position shown in Fig. 5.

The above-described construction and arrangement of the cashier and counter, viz., so that the cashier shall be caused to change his relative positions to the counter when the bank is open and when closed-that is, presenting himself behind the counter when the bank is open, and away therefrom when the bank is closed-I believe to be novel, and to better personate a life-like transaction of a real cashier than any arrangement of this character that has come to my knowledge.

The counter F is made of a length equal to, or about equal to, one-half the width ofthe door, so as to enable it to play freely through the door-way when the door is turned on its axis. It is also provided with two flanges, o o, arranged on its sides, as shown in Fig. 1, one of such flanges also being shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Ihese lianges serve'not only to prevent the displacement of the coin while moving to the entrance of the vault, but also to insure its entrance therein. The length of the counter also corresponds, or very nearly so, with the width of the hall, so that when the former is lswung around within the latter its edge shall be brought into close proximity with the vault-opening, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4.

Having described the construction of my invention, its operation is as follows: If we suppose the bank to be closed, or as shown in Fig. 2, and we desire to open the same and make a deposit, we have simply to take hold of the knob of the door and turn the latter upon its axis one-half of circle, when the spring-catch will move and lock the door in such position, while the mechanism connected with the platform, on which the cashier stands, will, in the meantime, move him to his post behind `the counter, and represent him as looking from the window and ready to receive the deposit. We next lay the deposit upon the counter and take hold ofthe catch-knob and slightly move the minste same laterally, (which will release the door,) and the resilient action of its spring will cause it to turn on its axis one hundred and eighty degrees, and thereby reverse the door and bring the counter within the hall, and with its open end in juxtaposition and in line with the opening ofthe vault, the centrifugal action and the concussion of the door against its stop impelling the deposit or penny from the counter, the flanges of the latter guiding it with absolute certainty through the vault-opening into the vault. This movement of the door withdraws the counter and cashier from sight, and leaves the bank in the status we have termed closed.

What I claim as my invention is as follows:

l. In a toy savings-bank, constructed substantially as described, the combination, with the case A, of the door D, when hinged or pivoted thereto in manner as set forth..

2. In a toy savings-bank, the combination, with the case A, of the door D, window E, and counter F, substantially as described.

3. In a toy savings-bank, the combination of the counter F and door D with the case A, when the door is hung as described and provided with means for actuating it, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a toy savings-bank, the figure77 -or cashier, constructed and arranged to be at the counter when the bank is open, and away therefrom when the bank is closed.

5. The combination of the door, hung as described, and its actuating-spring, the coun ter F, and vault B, provided with an opening, b, thewhole being arranged to operate together in manner as set forth.

6. In combination with the pivoted door D, the counter F, provided with the flanges o o, as andv for the purpose set forth.

7. In combination with the door, hung as described, and provided with a window and means of reversal, as specified, mechanism, substantially as stated, for bringing the' cashier at his postat the window when the bank is open, and away therefrom when the bank is closed.

H. W. IROUTY. Vitnesses:

F. I. HALE, F. C. HALE. 

